Digital Badging - No More Sewing?

[RememberSchiff]

http://www.clomedia.com/articles/6346-be-a-boy-scout-prepare-for-digital-badging

 

...BSA’s merit program is adapting to digital-native members by adopting digital badging, a method to earn and display learning achievements such as certificates and completed classwork.

 

“Every experience could really become a credential through the use of things like badging,†Swanson said. “They’re great tools to track both formal and informal learning, whether an employee is taking a class or simply turning to the Internet for an answer.â€

 

The Boy Scouts of America have a similar approach to give its members credit for their learning, from requiring them to spend days in the wilderness to offering 136 courses via smartphone.

 

Every experience counts, said Diana Childress, vice president and managing director for strategic initiatives at Pearson North America. She teamed up with BSA’s Wellen to create the badging program.

 

Childress met with scout troops before their 12-day trek at Philmont Scout Ranch, the largest Boy Scout High Adventure Base. She said the participants hit the trails with phones in hand, living out the organization’s motto of using any tool they have, be it a piece of rope or piece of technology.

 

“This is about the fundamental earning of a credentialed badge for each subject and accumulating them in advancement,†Childress said. “It’s an enhancement of the learning experience.â€

 

I remember when we tracked animals and each other more than advancement, did scout things without getting credit or expecting it ... That last sentence just bugs me.

Edited July 8, 2015 by RememberSchiff

[Gone]

Oh Lord, the cheapening continues. Now MB colleges will be hundreds of guys congregating to take courses on their phones. Lovely.

[desertrat77]

So scouts will spend more time fiddling with their smart phones?    At Philmont too?   A step backwards in the progress of mankind.  Several steps, actually.

 

What a waste.  Disconnected from the world.   Experiencing life through apps on a plastic device.  They may as well stay home and virtually earn their Arrowhead Patch.  

[Eagle94-A1]

(sarcasm on) "I love it. LOVE IT!" ( sarcasm off)

 

It's not about advancement, it's about the Scouts learning something and growing.

 

My oldest spent a week at summer camp, and didn't earn a single merit badge. NOT. A. SINGLE. ONE. One parent freaked when I mentioned this. Sai dsomehting about wasting the camp fee.

 

BUT did my son learn some things? Absolutely. Did my son have fun? Absolutely. Did my son grow? Absolutely.  Proudest moment for me was when he took one of our homesick Scouts under his wing and helped him out. This is his 2nd year at summer camp, and he handled it like a pro. 

 

As for using digital media to show what you've earned? Let's just say there is a reason why badges are worn. We have several Scouts who, because they and no one in their families can sew, do not where ANY rank. They get ticked off at me when I treat them as new Scouts who have just joined the troop. But I don't  know what they are capable of doing and not doing without seeing the rank.

 

As it is, we have one parent upset that said he will not buy his son a book until the new ones come out in January. Instead he's going to keep track of everything on the phone with an app. It was interestng to remnd the dad that A) His son's advancement, his son's responibility, and B) How is the BOR goignto sign an app?

[Gone]

 

 

Childress met with scout troops before their 12-day trek at Philmont Scout Ranch, the largest Boy Scout High Adventure Base. She said the participants hit the trails with phones in hand, living out the organization’s motto of using any tool they have, be it a piece of rope or piece of technology.

 

What Philmont will become by 2016 if this continues....

 

[Stosh]

For some of us real progress is a step backwards.  Glamping is not my cup of tea.  

[SSScout]

I'm thinking that it is late in the year for April Fool's day....

 

""living out the organization’s motto of using any tool they have, be it a piece of rope or piece of technology.""   I would like to know where she got this.

 

I am not averse to technology. I think archiving your certificates for future reference might be a good thing (BSA never lost any paperwork, naaaah).

 

I would like to know who gets the money out of this,

 

Eagle94:   Time for a Sewing Merit Badge Day for your Troop :-)  and point out the benefits of "Badge Magic"  or even "Goop" used judiciously....

 

And, one can always safety pin things on and get aunt Matilda to sew it on, or your local dry cleaners will often sew Scout stuff for cheap if you have it placed where you want it.

[NJCubScouter]

After reading the entire article, I'm not sure what is really going on here. Some of the terminology is just so odd, it seems to have been written by someone with very little knowledge of Scouting. The article also seems to be mainly a promotional piece for the non-BSA organizations that are involved. There is one direct quote from someone at BSA, which doesn't really say anything new, followed by the sentence "But members can now take full courses on their smartphones to earn digital badges, as well as the stitched ones." I have no idea what that really means. I haven't heard of any program for Scouts to do advancement online, outside of the regular patrol, troop or merit-badge-counselor setting. Some adult training courses are online now, though I wouldn't want to do one on a smartphone.

 

The terminology in the part about Philmont seems "off" as well. Does anyone know what is really happening?

[MattR]

So scouts will spend more time fiddling with their smart phones?  ... They may as well stay home and virtually earn their Arrowhead Patch.  

My guess is it's more a case of adult's wishful thinking. These two have a hammer and they're looking for nails.

 

These people think that because scouts like to text each other they will like to look stuff up online. So they will add lots of requirements to look stuff up and discuss what they've found. But scouts would rather shoot, paddle, ride, and do stuff with their hands. The scouts will ignore whatever these people come up with.

[Twocubdad]

NJ -- I got the same impression from reading he few snips. Sounds to me like this company is throwing a bone to BSA in order to get some free PR. But then again, national seems to have this obsession with looking trendy at any cost.

[qwazse]

I've been telling you all. The day's coming when your uniform fabric will have electronic ink.

Log that shirt into myscouting, and it will download your info making insignia and knots appear in the warp and woof of the cloth.

Stay connected to the wireless, and

• MBs will appear as soon as the counselor signs the standard issue chip-embedded blue card.
• Tan fades to green as soon as the troop meeting adjourns crew meeting opens.
• Trained patches will fade away and be replaced with flashing "needs to update YPT" every two years.
• The MB sash fades behind the pockets when not in use or completely away when the O/A sash needs to appear.
• Some hacker scouts will figure out a way for the sashes to appear on smart-fabric uniform shorts as though they were folded over their belt.
  • As a result, Bryan's blog will have thousands of replys to a Talkback Tuesday post regarding unofficial uniform apps.
• It will all start with epaulets that change color for cub unis ....

[Gone]

The terminology in the part about Philmont seems "off" as well. Does anyone know what is really happening?

 

My guess? The author read the bit about the BSA move to digital MB books, made a few inquiries to people who don't really know anything in detail, found a few references to the use of technology within BSA and drew a series of unsupported conclusions. As for the nomenclature she used (e.g., Chief Learning Officer) it sounds like that forum might be an association for those folks in charge of organizational training or learning.

 

As for the technology at Philmont, I suspect she was referring to the STEM treks at Philmont. They do give out a few smart phones, but mostly for app look ups. Nothing really revolutionary going on.

[NJCubScouter]

I think the real "story" here is not the availability of digital versions of badges, which are really just pictures - and maybe an electronic certificate to go with the graphic. The real issue here is summed up in the sentence I quoted above: "But members can now take full courses on their smartphones to earn digital badges, as well as the stitched ones." Having read what I wrote above, I should make clear that that was NOT a direct quote by the BSA person mentioned in the article. That sentence was written by the writer of the article, and it is not clear what it is based on. It also is not clear what it means. Does it mean, as I suggested above, that a Scout will be able to do some advancement completely online, meaning they will be interacting with a computer to earn a badge without any human interaction at a patrol or troop meeting, camping trip or with a merit badge counselor? If so, that is the REAL change. It also does not sound like a good idea. But I have seen no indication that anything like that is being put in place.

[Gone]

I think the real "story" here is not the availability of digital versions of badges, which are really just pictures - and maybe an electronic certificate to go with the graphic. The real issue here is summed up in the sentence I quoted above: "But members can now take full courses on their smartphones to earn digital badges, as well as the stitched ones." Having read what I wrote above, I should make clear that that was NOT a direct quote by the BSA person mentioned in the article. That sentence was written by the writer of the article, and it is not clear what it is based on. It also is not clear what it means. Does it mean, as I suggested above, that a Scout will be able to do some advancement completely online, meaning they will be interacting with a computer to earn a badge without any human interaction at a patrol or troop meeting, camping trip or with a merit badge counselor? If so, that is the REAL change. It also does not sound like a good idea. But I have seen no indication that anything like that is being put in place.

 

As I said, "The author read the bit about the BSA move to digital MB books, made a few inquiries to people who don't really know anything in detail, found a few references to the use of technology within BSA and drew a series of unsupported conclusions. "

 

BSA does not have online advancement or MB classes. According to my contact in their info services group they are working on something like that but does not sound like entirely an online MB course. In fact his direct comment was "If you look at the changes in rank advancement for 2016, BSA is heading more in the direction of direct interaction with those signing off on advancement, not less." 

 

That said, he does say that BSA is "working towards" several online services regarding MBs and ranks that he's did not elaborate on. His take was that they are "not even in Beta...just ideas."

[desertrat77]

My guess is it's more a case of adult's wishful thinking. These two have a hammer and they're looking for nails.

 

These people think that because scouts like to text each other they will like to look stuff up online. So they will add lots of requirements to look stuff up and discuss what they've found. But scouts would rather shoot, paddle, ride, and do stuff with their hands. The scouts will ignore whatever these people come up with.

Matt, excellent perspective, thank you!